Greek yogurt turns Queen Mary pink for Valentine's

An Irvine company will turn the Queen Mary pink tonight as it fetes love and Greek yogurt.

Ehrmann USA has been making yogurt for other businesses since 2010 and now is introducing its own brand, Mixim. The company, which has sales and marketing in Irvine, is the American subsidiary of Ehrmann, an 85-year-old family-owned Germany dairy producer.

So why all the Valentine’s Day fuss? The fat-free yogurt comes in a three-chambered heart-shaped container. Toppings in two small compartments can be folded into the plain yogurt, which sits in the main compartment.

Chris Solly, chief executive of Ehrmann USA, said the product’s heart shape leant itself nicely to marketing campaigns like this Queen Mary party created by Newport Beach-based Gold PR.

“We went with the heart shape because it does the job mechanically and is a very fun shape," said Solly.

The company partnered with the Queen Mary to host a free event from 5 to 10 p.m. There will be yogurt sampling and a concert by Journey tribute band “DSB” at the aft of the ship.

On the Sun Deck, attendees will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the greatest number of couples feeding each other yogurt simultaneously. If at least 125 couples participate, Ehrmann will donate $20,000 to The Children’s Heart Foundation, a nonprofit that funds research for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congenital heart defects.

Lighting effects will turn the ship pink and the company’s logo will be projected onto the Queen Mary’s smokestacks. The night will end with a fireworks show.

Adult admission to the historic vessel is normally $24.95. People interested in attending the event must visit queenmary.com and click on the “events” link for ticket information. About 1,000 people have signed up to attend as of Thursday morning.

New ventures

A Roaring Twenties-themed celebration marked the opening of Farmers & Merchants Bank’s 23rd location last month in Corona del Mar. The branch at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway is modeled after the company’s Long Beach headquarters – a structure that was built in 1923. To match that era, the grand opening included vintage cars, jazz music, and actors posing as paparazzi and old-fashioned newsboys. Regional manager Jeff Spinelli manages the new branch.

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